Karla Mendez

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About

Karla S. Mendez, PhD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, at the El Paso location. Dr. Mendez earned a BS in Biology at the University of Texas at El Paso, an MPH with a focus in Epidemiology and a PhD in Environmental Disease Prevention at UT-Houston School of Public Health. Dr. Mendez has experience addressing air and water borne disease transmission using risk assessment. She conducted a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) associated with wastewater reuse and evaluated community factors affecting water reuse acceptance. She also developed a method on how QMRA can inform a community’s vulnerability assessment when implementing water reuse practices. Additionally, she evaluated risk of airborne fungal disease posed to a high-risk group of agricultural workers and risk management interventions to inform public health measures.

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Research Interests

• Border Health
• Environmental and Occupational Health
• Epidemiology
• Health Equity
• Infectious Disease